Italian Premiere of 'Ice Age 4' to Take Place at Giffoni Fest

ROME – The Italian premiere of Ice Age: Continental Drift, the fourth installment of the popular animated Ice Age franchise, will be among the highlights of the next Giffoni Film Festival, organizers announced Friday.

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The film, directed by Steve Martino and Mike Thurmeir, continues the ongoing story about a ragtag team of mammals struggling to survive the Paleolithic ice age. Like its predecessors, the latest production includes the voices of Ray Romano, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah, and Jennifer Lopez, among others.

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The premiere follows in the footsteps of Ice Age: Dawn of Dinosaurs, the third installment in the franchise, which also had its Italian premiere at Giffoni ahead of a highly-successful box office run in the country.

This year’s screening, which will take place July 22, will give festival-goers a look at the sure-to-be blockbuster production more than two months before it goes into general release in Italy on Sept. 28.

The 42-year-old Giffoni festival lays claim to be the largest film festival in the world that focuses on children’s films. It takes place in the village of Giffoni Valle Piana, around 50 miles east of the city of Naples.

The festival reportedly struggled with budgetary problems earlier this year, but officials said Friday those issues had been resolved.

In addition to Ice Age: Continental Drift, iconic folk singer Patti Smith and actress Jessica Alba are expected to make appearances at the event, which will take place July 14-24. The festival’s full lineup will be announced June 19.